List of most expensive video games to develop

The following is a list of the most expensive video games ever developed, with a minimum total cost of US$50 million and sorted by the total cost adjusted for inflation. Most game budgets are not disclosed, so this list is not indicative of industry trends.

Lists

Official figures
Name Year Developer Publisher Original platform(s) Development cost
(million US$)		 Marketing cost
(million US$)		 Total cost
(million US$)		 Total cost with 2021 inflation
(million US$)
Star Citizen TBA[lower-alpha 1] Cloud Imperium Games Cloud Imperium Games Windows 339+[1] 61+[1] 400+[1] 400+
Cyberpunk 2077 2020 CD Projekt Red CD Projekt Windows, PS4, Stadia, Xbox One 174[2] 142[2] 316[3] 331
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 2009 Infinity Ward Activision Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 40–50 200 250[4] 316
Final Fantasy VII 1997 Square Square, Sony Computer Entertainment PS1 40–45[5][6] 40–100[7][6] 80–145 135–245
Halo 2 2004 Bungie Microsoft Studios Xbox 40[8] 80[8] 120[8] 230
Destiny 2014 Bungie Activision PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One <140[9] <140[9] 140[9] 160
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 2018 Eidos Montréal Square Enix Windows, PS4, Xbox One 75–100[10] 35[10] 110–135 119–146
Dead Space 2 2011 Visceral Games Electronic Arts Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 60[11] 60[11] 120 145
Grand Theft Auto IV 2008 Rockstar North Rockstar Games PS3, Xbox 360 100+[12] 126+
Shenmue 1999 Sega AM2 Sega Dreamcast 47[13][14] 47–70[13] 76–114
Battlefield 4 2013 EA DICE Electronic Arts Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 100[15] 100 116
Genshin Impact 2020 miHoYo miHoYo Android, iOS, Windows, PS4 100+[16] 100+
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 2015 CD Projekt Red CD Projekt Windows, PS4, Xbox One 81[17] 93
Rift 2011 Trion Worlds Trion Worlds Windows 50+ 10–20 60–70+[18] 72–84+
Watch Dogs 2014 Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One 68+[19] 68+ 78+
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 2012 Ubisoft Paris, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Bucharest Ubisoft PS3, Xbox 360 65[20] 77
Gran Turismo 5 2010 Polyphony Digital Sony Computer Entertainment PS3 60[21] 60 75
Gears of War 3 2011 Epic Games Microsoft Studios Xbox 360 48–60[22] 48–60 58–72
Gears of War: Judgment 2013 Epic Games, People Can Fly Microsoft Studios Xbox 360 60[23] 70
Heavy Rain 2010 Quantic Dream Sony Computer Entertainment PS3 21.8[24][25] 30.4[24][25] 52.2[24][25] 65
Final Fantasy IX 2000 Square Square PS1 40[26] 40+ 63+
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. Atari 2600 22[27] 62
Darksiders II 2012 Vigil Games THQ Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 50[28] 59
Half-Life 2 2004 Valve Valve Windows 40[29] 40 57

Cancelled games
Name Year cancelled Developer Publisher Platform Development cost
(million US$)		 Cost with 2021 inflation
(million US$)
Halo MMO (Titan Project) 2007–2008 Ensemble Studios Microsoft Game Studios Windows 90[30] 113
Fable Legends 2016 Lionhead Studios Microsoft Studios Windows, Xbox One 75[31] 85+
This Is Vegas 2009–2010 Surreal Software Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 40–50[32] 50–62
Volt (working title) 2021 Hangar 13 2K Un­known 53[33] 53

Analyst estimations
Name Year Developer Publisher Original platform(s) Analyst Firm Development cost
(million US$)		 Marketing cost
(million US$)		 Total cost
(million US$)		 Total cost with 2021 inflation
(million US$)		 Ref
Grand Theft Auto V 2013 Rockstar North Rockstar Games PS3, Xbox 360 Arvind Bhatia Sterne Agee 137.5 69–109.3 206.5–246.8 240–287 [34]
Marvel's Avengers 2020 Crystal Dynamics Square Enix Windows, PS4, Stadia, Xbox One David Gibson Astris Advisory 170+ 178+ [35]
Red Dead Redemption 2 2018 Rockstar Studios Rockstar Games PS4, Xbox One Michael Pachter Wedbush Securities 170 170 183 [36]
Max Payne 3 2012 Rockstar Studios Rockstar Games PS3, Xbox 360 Arvind Bhatia Sterne Agee 105 105 124 [37]
Tomb Raider 2013 Crystal Dynamics Square Enix Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 Billy Pidgeon N/A 100 116 [38]

Press estimations

The following budgets have been estimated by press outlets without naming any specific analyst or firm.

Name Year Developer Publisher Original platform(s) Press outlet Development cost
(million US$)		 Marketing cost
(million US$)		 Total cost
(million US$)		 Total cost with 2021 inflation
(million US$)		 Ref
Red Dead Redemption 2 2018 Rockstar Studios Rockstar Games PS4, Xbox One VentureBeat 200–300 200–300 216–324 [36]
Grand Theft Auto V 2013 Rockstar North Rockstar Games PS3, Xbox 360 The Scotsman 265 308 [39]
Star Wars: The Old Republic 2011 BioWare Electronic Arts, LucasArts Windows Los Angeles Times 200+ 241+ [40]
Too Human 2008 Silicon Knights Microsoft Game Studios Xbox 360 USgamer 60–100 76–126 [41]
Red Dead Redemption 2010 Rockstar San Diego Rockstar Games PS3, Xbox 360 The New York Times 80–100 99–124 [42]
APB: All Points Bulletin 2010 Realtime Worlds Electronic Arts, Realtime Worlds Windows The Guardian 100 124 [43]
Disney Infinity 2013 Avalanche Software, Altron (3DS) Disney Interactive Studios 3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 Los Angeles Times 100+ 116+ [44]
Deadpool 2013 High Moon Studios Activision Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 GameSpot 100 116 [45]
Mass Effect: Andromeda 2017 BioWare Electronic Arts Windows, PS4, Xbox One Edmonton Journal 100 111 [46]
Defiance 2013 Trion Worlds, Human Head Studios Trion Worlds Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 Forbes 80 80 93 [47]
Mortal Kombat II 1994 Probe Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment Game Gear, Sega Genesis, SNES San Francisco Chronicle 50 91 [48]
Sonic & Knuckles 1994 Sega Sega Sega Genesis Los Angeles Times 45 45 82 [49]
DC Universe Online 2011 Daybreak Game Company Daybreak Game Company, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Windows, PS3 Los Angeles Times 50 50 60 [50]
L.A. Noire 2011 Team Bondi Rockstar Games PS3, Xbox 360 BBC 50 50 60 [51]
Super Mario Bros. 3 1988 Nintendo EAD Nintendo NES The Seattle Times 0.8 25.8+ 59+ [52]
The Indianapolis Star 25+ [53]
Final Fantasy X 2001 Square Square PS2 Yomiuri Shimbun 32.3 32.3+ 53+ [54]
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2010 Treyarch Activision Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, OS X Los Angeles Times 50+ 62 [55]
Pokémon Gold and Silver 2000 Game Freak Nintendo Game Boy Color Bloomberg News 50 50 79 [56]

See also

Notes
  1. Playable elements of the game were first released in 2013, but the game remains in early access, with no final release date announced.

References
  1. "Cloud Imperium Financials for 2020". cloudimperiumgames.com. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  2. "2020 results" (PDF). cdprojekt.com. April 2021. p. 2. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  3. Sinclair, Brendan (April 22, 2021). "CD Projekt refunded around 30,000 Cyberpunk 2077 copies". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  4. Fritz, Ben (November 18, 2009). "Video game borrows page from Hollywood playbook". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  5. "Essential 50: Final Fantasy VII". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  6. "Final Fantasy 7: An oral history". Polygon. January 9, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  7. Stanton, Rich (June 2, 2013). "Final Fantasy 7 retrospective". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  8. "What's it's really like to work in Game industry". YouTube. July 7, 2015. Event occurs at 42:38. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  9. Pham, Alex (May 21, 2012). "Bungie-Activision contract". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  10. Dring, Christopher (May 11, 2018). "Eidos Montreal: "We have to try new models for single-player games"". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  11. "Dead Space 2 Dev Says Game Cost $60M To Make And Sold Millions, But Failed Commercially". Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  12. Androvitch, Mark (April 30, 2008). "GTA IV: Most expensive game ever developed?". Games Industry International.
  13. Sheffield, Brandon (March 2, 2011). "GDC 2011: Yu Suzuki: 'Sega Will Probably Let Me Make Shenmue 3'". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  14. Robinson, Martin (June 22, 2015). "Yu Suzuki wants $10 million to make a truly open world Shenmue 3".
  15. "EA CCO: Battlefield 4 budget was $100 million". bfcentral. March 14, 2014. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  16. Ye, Josh (September 30, 2020). "Genshin Impact works its magic to become biggest global launch of a Chinese game ever, analysts say". South China Morning Post. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  17. Makuch, Eddie (September 9, 2015). "This is How Much The Witcher 3 Cost to Make". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  18. "How Much Does It Cost To Make A Big Video Game?". Kotaku. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  19. Mosca, Marco (June 18, 2013). "Watch Dogs, le très gros budget d'Ubisoft". Challenges. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  20. "Ubisoft discusses next-generation game budgets". Eurogamer.net. May 16, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  21. Remo, Chris (November 5, 2009). "Yamauchi: Gran Turismo 5's Development Cost Hit $60 Million". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  22. Brian Crecente. "The four lives of Epic Games". Polygon. Retrieved March 27, 2018. By the end of the cycle, Gears of War 3 cost about four or five times more than the original to make.
  23. Makuch, Eddie (January 9, 2017). "Gears of War: Judgment Cost $60 Million and Made $100 Million, Dev Says". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  24. Purchese, Robert (April 19, 2013). "Heavy Rain cost €16.7 million to make and made Sony "more than €100 million"". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  25. "Heavy Rain cost $52 million but made $130 million, you do the math". Engadget.
  26. Alder, Davon (July 29, 2000). "Square Haven News / NTV Tokyo Interviews Hironobu Sakaguchi". squarehaven.com. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  27. Phipps, Keith (February 2, 2005). "Howard Scott Warshaw". A.V. Club. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  28. "Darksiders 2's $50 Million Budget Was "Ridiculous," Nordic Games CEO Says".
  29. "Half-Life 2: $40 million in, still Steaming forward". Eurogamer. March 22, 2004. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  30. Plunkett, Luke (April 13, 2010). "Why The Halo MMO Was Cancelled". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  31. Frank, Allegra (May 12, 2016). "Report: Fable Legends was a $75M project 'nobody' wanted to work on". Polygon. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  32. Zelfden, N. Van (February 16, 2009). "What's Killing the Video-Game Business?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  33. Schreier, Jason (November 3, 2021). "Take-Two's 2K Cancels $53 Million Game From Hangar 13". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  34. "GTA V dev costs over $137 million, says analyst". gamesindustry.biz. February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  35. "Square Enix reports $48M loss following release of underperforming Marvel's Avengers". Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  36. Takahashi, Dean (October 31, 2018). "Red Dead Redemption 2 could hit 20 million in sales — and turn a profit — by December". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  37. Nunneley, Stephany (September 8, 2011). "Max Payne 3 could cost Rockstar $105 million to develop, says analyst". VG247. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  38. Handrahan, Matthew (March 27, 2013). "Single-player IP will cause problems for Square Enix". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  39. Travers, Alan (February 1, 2013). "GTA 5' Costs $265 Million To Develop And Market, Making It The Most Expensive Video Game Ever Produced: Report". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  40. Fritz, Ben (January 20, 2012). "Star Wars: The Old Republic — the story behind a galactic gamble". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  41. Mackey, Bob (August 14, 2014). Gaming's Greatest Flops: Too Human. USgamer.
  42. Schiesel, Seth (May 16, 2010). "Video Game Review - 'Red Dead Redemption' Brings Old West to Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  43. Stuart, Keith (August 27, 2010). "Realtime Worlds: an inside story". theguardian.com. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  44. Fritz, Ben (August 25, 2013). "Disney Tries Anew to Raise Its Score on Digital Games". The Wall Street Journal.
  45. "20 of the Most Expensive Games Ever Made". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  46. Kent, Gordon (March 1, 2017). "Edmonton's BioWare uses upcoming release of Mass Effect: Andromeda to push for industry tax credits". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  47. Bercovici, Jeff (November 26, 2012). "With 'Defiance,' Comcast's Syfy Bets $100M On Convergence Of TV And Videogames". Forbes. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  48. Evenson, Laura (September 9, 1994). "Video games getting movie-style premieres". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 15. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. Kronke, David (October 15, 1994). "It's Gonna Be a Video Jungle Out There: Video-game stars Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog will battle it out with new games backed by tech advances and mega-marketing". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  50. Pham, Alex; Fritz, Ben (January 11, 2011). "DC Universe Online: $50 million gamble aims for audience that World of Warcraft 'can't touch'". Hero Complex – movies, comics, pop culture – Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  51. Geoghegan, Kev (May 27, 2011). "Will L.A. Noire change the game for actors?". BBC News.
  52. Casey Corr, O. (December 16, 1990). "Move To Level Two - Ho A Hurdle, Dodge A Fireball On The Way To Finding The Spirit Of America's Favorite Toy". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  53. "Nintendo fuels "Mario Mania" with "Super Mario Bros. 3"". The Indianapolis Star. April 9, 1990. p. 22. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  54. Long, Andrew. "Financial Fantasy X". RPGamer. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
  55. "Video game set during Cold War". Los Angeles Times. November 9, 2010. p. 23. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  56. "Game Boy Color set to sell 8 million". The Age. May 16, 2000. p. 57. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.